


Candy

by TheHuntress25



Category: K-pop, ambw - Fandom, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Multi, Romance, kpop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:42:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21726199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHuntress25/pseuds/TheHuntress25
Summary: Candace Harris was supposed to be having her first vacation stress free until she finds herself befriending a member of her favorite Kpop group, All4U. When things between them start to become a bit more complicated, she's forced to take on a lot more than she bargained for.
Relationships: AMBW - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Candy

Chapter One  
Gotta Go

This is the worst day of my life, Candace Harris thought bitterly as the hot summer sun blazed above her, beads of sweat dripping from her brow. Her sandals felt like woven bricks and she was finding it very hard to breathe, her rage so acute that she could almost taste it on the tip of her tongue. She hadn’t been this hot and miserable since that time her air conditioner had broken in her apartment two years ago. She had spent most of that time whining on the phone to anyone who had been available, naked aside from a pair of panties that had seen much better days. The only thing that had spared her from turning into a puddle of goo that summer had been… Candace shook the memory off, refusing to remember him at a time like this. 

Candace felt her lips thinning, wondering how she could find herself still thinking about him even on a deserted road, several miles away. It had been ages since they had seen one another and even longer since he had bothered to even acknowledge her. She was better off forgetting him and yet, there were times when she wanted nothing but to remember. It would at least give her something to complain about, but she refused to give him even the slightest of favors after what had happened between them.   
Wearily, she found herself taking in her surroundings once again.

The road seemed to stretch on forever and was relatively remote, she hadn’t seen a single car since she had started walking to get help. There was a thick clump of forest on either side that resembled a mangy and unkempt beard, the bushes whispering with wildlife. Candace wasn’t exactly fond of nature, but she had to admit that it was a little charming, compared to the ugliness of the city. The air was cleaner, and it carried a scent from flowers that she had only read about, fruit that appeared almost otherworldly to a girl who had never traveled. 

Candace paused for a moment to collect herself, dreading the fact that she probably had several more miles to walk before she met anyone. She had only meant to step out for a little while after settling into her hotel but had gotten lost along the way, regretting the fact that she had let her mind wander. Cell service was weak at best and she pulled out her phone, noticing not for the first time that she needed a new screen protector.   
Nearly noon. Candace doubted if she had made good time, she had spent half the walk sobbing and cursing, even going so far as to scream when she caught a cramp. She had never been athletic and the only exercise she ever got was dancing in her living room to her favorite songs or pretending to be the greatest martial artist the world had ever known. 

Candace sighed irritably, annoyed that she hadn’t received any messages. Her parents were divorced and each enamored with new people, so she didn’t expect to hear from them anytime soon and not at this hour. Most of her friends were probably busy with their kids or something like that and she didn’t think she should bother them unless she was especially screwed. She tried to go online but the service was too weak, and she wasn’t sure who she could even call.   
This wasn’t exactly the place where taxis were plentiful and for a moment, she felt her anger nearly getting the best of her, almost enraged that she had taken a vacation in the first place. But she hadn’t taken a vacation in almost five years, she worked at a popular magazine back home that took up most of her time and energy, she was one of the only writers there that was constantly in demand. Her articles were usually lighthearted and somewhat trashy, especially when she dealt with celebrity gossip and she didn’t tend to hold her tongue.

The pay was good enough and the years had flown by so quickly that she had missed several birthdays and was often left alone to pick up the pieces of her social life. Everyone seemed to need her. Everyone seemed to want things from her. Her time, her attention and whatever scraps that she had left. Taking a little time for herself was so…foreign. Almost perverse. So, this vacation had been needed in more ways than one. 

This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime and she had been dying to catch a break, even if it meant struggling a little just to get there. Tropical and remote was exactly what she needed; Candace told herself. Even if it was hotter than sin and you crashed your car, you deserve this. But it had been one bad thing after another from the moment she had gotten to the airport and she was extremely close to losing her shit completely.

Candace ran her tongue over her dry lips before slipping out of her jacket and tying it around her waist, there was no point in being hotter than she needed to be. She only wore a thin camisole and shorts to begin with, but she may as well have been wearing five layers in this heat. Her deep brown skin was dotted with sweat, but she was thankful that she had managed to get her hair into a bun, even though the curls had defied her at every turn.   
After taking several deep breaths and cursing one last time, Candace dug around in her pockets until she retrieved her headphones. If she had to be miserable, she was going to at least listen to some music to get her through the worst of it. Her phone had enough battery life for another few hours, it might last until she could at least find some help. 

Candace plugged her headphones in, opened Spotify and settled on Dir En Gray as she started walking again.  
The music immediately had a soothing effect, despite the screaming the lead vocalist was doing and she found herself lost in it for several minutes. Withering to Death was one of her favorite albums and one of the reasons her mother never gave her the aux. It was a completely different sound from her usual and after the last guitar string faded, Candace switched over to her K-pop playlist. 

Candace was a devoted fan to more than a few groups and artists, but she was dedicated to one group in particular, a group called All4U. Admittedly, she had thought that the fuss around them was a bit much when a few chat rooms had begun to focus on them. They consisted of seven members (it had taken her months to learn all their names) in varying degrees of out of her league, leather pants and way too much damn time on their hands. 

Their company was relatively small compared to others and no one had thought that they would get anywhere. Candace had heard one or two songs and had shrugged them off, thinking that they had nothing on EXO or any of the other groups she had been listening to at the time. She had been of the second-generation variety and admittedly, a bit of a snob. 

All4U hadn’t impressed her at first but it surprised her now to recall that she had been a fan since 2014, a year or two after they had debuted. Candace had only meant to see what the real fuss was about after finding one of their songs had gotten stuck in her head but had found herself spending her last check on a concert ticket by the end of the week. 

The experience had been a whirlwind of fan girling, merchandise that she couldn’t afford and music that had made an impact on her life. Candace knew that her relatives and friends thought that her taste was questionable at best, but she didn’t think that they needed to know how much All4U meant to her. There had been many days when she had been so deeply depressed that their music was the only thing that had made her feel better. 

When she had lost her first job, Candace had beaten herself up over it for weeks before listening to a song called “Destiny” by All4U. For some reason, the song had pulled her out of her depression enough to get her back on her feet. It had reminded her a bit of the first time she had heard Serendipity by Jimin from BTS. 

It was hard to describe. 

Candace knew the members well enough but admitted that she wasn’t so far down the rabbit hole that she knew everything about them. She felt that at her age, she would be doing a bit much by obsessing over them and she had learned her lesson from watching her older sister’s weird obsession with N’Sync.   
Candace knew enough as a fan to get by, but she told herself that even if she wanted to devote more time to the group, she just didn’t have it. It had taken forever just to learn their names: Minji, JM, Ryu, Jun, Casper, Henry and JD. 

Minji was her personal favorite because he seemed to be the most genuine and what Candace supposed she had thought all her boyfriends would be. Sweet, innocent and appearing like an angel on earth. It was silly of course to get that attached but there was also an intensity about him that Candace liked as well. He had spent a lot of time overseas and spoke more than one language, you never knew what he was thinking.

JM was the one who kept the group together, Ryu was the youngest and somehow always falling flat on his face and Jun was usually eating. Candace hadn’t seen a video of him not stuffing his face and Henry was usually the one feeding him. JD and Casper were the members she didn’t know much about, she had heard that they were super private, but they were fan favorites because of how genuinely funny they were.

Candace hummed while she walked, careful not to trip as she made her way down the road. Up ahead, she thought she could make out what looked like a roof and felt a bit of relief. Maybe it was a small gas station or someone’s home. Her car had broken down a few miles ago, the tire blowing out before she could even think—which was why she had been so angry in the first place. It had been the last straw in an otherwise shitty start to her vacation.

With the kind of luck that she had had today, she was surprised that she hadn’t run her car off a cliff or been attacked by a wild boar. Candace shuddered at the thought, hoping that she didn’t run into any wild animals. She never carried a purse, so she couldn’t even hit anything with it. Then again, it would probably be a bear or something and then she would be screwed either way. Candace hoped that her car would be in decent shape by the time that she could get back to it, doubting anyone would want to steal it. 

Her car keys were safely in her pocket and she didn’t have anything valuable in the backseat or trunk, so that was another stroke of good luck. On a deserted road like this, she didn’t think anyone would even be able to spot it. Candace walked steadily on, forcing herself to stay upright as the heat threatened to get the best of her. 

The roof that she had spotted up ahead seemed a lot closer now and she was able to weakly detect some sort of sign, though it was hard to read at this distance. Candace picked up her pace, kicking up dirt and a fallen fruit. The sickly-sweet smell made her stomach churn, but she pressed on. The closer she got, the more she was able to see that the building was a bit larger than she would have guessed and nestled in the forest like some kind of witch’s hut. 

Baba Yaga…Candace thought stupidly. 

If this place really did belong to a witch, Candace would literally beg for something to drink. The outside appeared a little rough around the edges, the wood paneling chipping off in places, but she didn’t see a body or hear children screaming. Good enough. She had drunk the last of her water awhile back and it didn’t look like it was going to rain anytime soon, which meant that she was going to have to take her chances. 

Candace wiped the sweat from her brow, turned up the volume to Simon D’s “Make her Dance” and used the last of her strength to bolt towards the building. As she ran, she caught the strong scent of meat and the thought of having food and something to drink, was enough to make her almost faint. 

“Foooooood!” Candance whined, sobbing. 

Her calves were screaming in agony, her life was flashing through her eyes and she was close to begging Satan for a reprieve before the she finally made it. Candace gasped weakly, frantically glancing around for any sign of life. The sounds of laughter were coming from inside and the clatter of dishes and the scrape of shoes dragging along the floor were enough to confirm that there were people inside. If they were demons or witches, she would just have to get over it. 

Candace spotted a motorbike and a small bus further down the road, parked at an angle that suggested that whoever drove them shouldn’t have their licenses. The building itself was rather cute now that she wasn’t near death, the sign reading: A Little Ramen in Your Life in a hand painted scrawl that looked like it had been there for several decades. 

Her legs felt like jelly and she found herself bending over, grateful that Satan had answered her prayers and hadn’t abandoned her completely. God would have to get back to her. Candace removed her headphones and was still gathering herself when a dark shadow fell over her: “Thanks for the view, I’ll take that as payment for helping you out.” 

Candace felt shivers go down her spine and her mouth fell open slightly, wondering if she had somehow conjured a demon. The voice sounded familiar, but the humor tickled through the words in a way that made her feel like she was about to be eaten alive. Where had she heard that voice before? Her head was too muddled to put a name to it. 

“You gonna be okay?” The stranger asked, laughing.

The wayward strands of her hair were pushed away from her sweaty face, the stranger’s fingers cool against her skin. Embarrassed, Candace sweated their hand away. “I’m fine,” she muttered, refusing to meet their eye.

Candace busied herself by retying her jacket around her waist, aware that the stranger was watching her with an almost lazy interest. After gathering a few deep breaths, she forced herself to meet their curious stare and wished that she hadn’t. 

There really was a devil standing in front of her and Candace gulped, unsure if she should really be in his presence. He had sun kissed skin and thick black hair that hung damp against his throat, like strands of kisses. A pair of dark, designer sunglasses were perched on his nose, making it impossible to judge what his eye color was but the intensity of that gaze was enough to make Candace feel like he was peeking through her. 

He was a few inches taller, dressed casually in dark blue jeans and a stylishly ripped grey shirt that was snug but comfortable. Although Candace had a feeling that he was meant to look inconspicuous, the man reeked of money and the faint hint of his cologne didn’t help. Candace had never seen him before in her life, but she felt like she owed him money and found herself foolishly wishing that she had a few loose bills to throw at him in offering. 

The stranger seemed to be taking her in with that same, lazy interest and Candace knew she looked like roadkill. Her hair was a mess, she was covered in sweat and she smelt like death and disease. “You look like you had a rough day.” The stranger said as he reached into his front pocket, withdrew a lollipop and unwrapped it slowly.

“Yeah, uhm…you could say that.” Candace replied, wary.

“You look like shit.” The stranger remarked, snickering.

Candace spluttered. “Well, I did run all the way here!”

That earned her a quick, mocking little smile. “I can tell.”

“Look, is there something I can do for you?” Candace asked, irritated. 

The stranger ignored the question and considered her for several seconds before remarking with a laugh. “I was having a bad day too; thought I’d come out here to get a little ramen.” He reached out to thump her in the forehead, “and heard a scream.”

“I wasn’t screaming that loud, okay?” Candace snapped, smacking his hand.

The boy imitated her scream, which she had to admit wasn’t half bad. “That wasn’t you?”

“I don’t like running.” Candace retorted, trying to save face.

That earned her another smile and she saw the flash of pointed teeth that reminded her of a cat or monster. He thumped her forehead again. “You almost had me crash my motor bike back there and I thought you were in some kinda trouble.” He pointed at the motor bike she had spotted earlier, which would explain why it was parked so badly. 

“I thought I was going to get to be a superhero and save a pretty lady.” The boy said without a trace of humor. Candace had a feeling he was kind of disappointed that it was just her. “But all I see is you running over here, screaming for Satan to save you.” The stranger finished, roaring with laughter.

Candace flushed. “And?”

“So, here I am.” The man replied, laughing.

“You’re not the devil.” Candace said, though she was unsure. 

That earned her a shrug. “Probably not, but I do like having girls bending over, thanking me for shit.”

Candace felt her annoyance spike and shoved past him. The fact that he had seen her struggling to run was embarrassing enough but the fact that he seemed to take great pleasure in seeing her bent over was another thing. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she had seen him somewhere before but that had nothing to do with her situation now.

All she wanted to do was get something in her stomach and figure out what to do next. This was no time to be going back and forth with strangers. Candace glanced over her shoulder to spit, “You haven’t done shit for me.”

“I’m about to.” The stranger shot back, following her.

Candace felt that same trickle down her spine, wondering what he meant. He didn’t seem like the type of guy that she would run into on a normal day. She had written about celebrities many times over the past few years, but she had never actually met anyone. It didn’t make sense for someone famous to be out in the middle of nowhere like this and she frankly didn’t have time to be worrying about that in the first place.

“What do you want? I’m tired, sweaty and hungry.” Candace snapped once they had reached the front of the restaurant. She reached for the door and was annoyed when he stopped her, those long fingers curling around her wrist. 

“I’m not trying to bother you, I promise.” The stranger said softly, and she found herself staring up at him, sensing that he was merely having fun at her expense. “How about I make up for your bad day and take care of you for a little while?”

Candace frowned. “Why would you want to do that?”

He lifted her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles swiftly, as if he were enjoying the thought of bothering her. Candace tried to pull her hand away but felt her jaw dropping as he removed his sunglasses for the first time. 

The eyes that stared back at her were more familiar than her own, belonging to someone that she had only seen in posters and videos scattered around her bedroom. His voice had sounded so familiar to her because she had heard it thousands of times. Candace felt the blood draining from her face, unable to believe that a member of All4U was standing in front of her.

“You should be careful asking for devils or one will appear.” Minji warned playfully, promptly closing her mouth. “Funny how weird this day is turning out, don’t you think?” He whispered, taking her inside the building, that dark shadow consuming and impossible to run from.

**Author's Note:**

> Uhm...
> 
> Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you guys don't hate this too much. This was inspired by a dream that I had a while back featuring BTS. I've created my own Kpop group that is loosely based on them and a few others , so please don't take all this super personal.


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